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Black Currant Jam with Black Peppercorns and Rosemary

Very often I am drawn to the unusual. Although its name is not unfamiliar to most Americans the black currant is not a common staple in the general US population’s pantry. Even more so it is absent from their gardens. As par usual with me, not in with the mainstream…where do I sign up?!

It was little over three years ago when I sent away for 3 Crandall black currant whips from St. Lawrence Nursery in New York. Come spring 3 little sticks arrived that I popped int the ground hoping for the best. Fast forward those three years and presto, a whopping 5 pound crop of berries!

What better thing to do with my fruitful abundance than to make jam! Drawing from several websites and my jam bible The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook I found that it is pretty much all about keeping the sugar to berry ratio equal. If you are rolling in the black currants I highly recommend trying this. I have reduced the quantities to make it more applicable for the home cook.